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The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), recently criticised for having nearly half of its experts with ongoing financial conflicts of interests in the agribusiness and food industries, is asking for your opinion. On 3 September, EFSA closes its consultation on its “draft guidance for the scientific requirements for health claims related to antioxidants, oxidative damage and cardiovascular health”.

Sound like that’s not relevant to you? Well, if you care about what foods, herbal teas and supplements the public chooses and how these impact health, or what eating habits the youngsters of today will take into adulthood – you should have your say. Concealing the remarkable truth about the healing and disease preventing powers of foods and nutrients by rejecting so much nutritional science and triggering the ban of thousands of previously used health claims amounts to the public being misled.

EFSA has called a public consultation and wants to hear from you. It’s time to have your say – and this article is about helping you with this important task.

The link to the EFSA’s consultation document is here, while you may also wish to review the consultation page.

Health claims through the EFSA lens

The reality is that of 44,000 claims originally proposed, thanks to negative assessments by EFSA, the vast majority have been made illegal. The majority of these were lost in what we called “the Great EU Health Claims Cull” between 2008 and 2011. These were thrown out because they didn’t include human studies to support the cause and effect relationship between the consumption of the food or substance and the claimed beneficial effect, something that wasn’t a requirement when the requests for scientific substantiation were issued.

Given the many thousands of beneficial compounds and substances in foods, it is somewhat extraordinary that the highest authority on food safety in the EU – an authority that claims to be both transparent and open – has only found 261 foods or dietary substances that are proven beneficial for human beings. We refer of course to the 261 authorised health claims that can be used by food and supplement businesses EU-wide if they meet their conditions of use. Missing from the register of permitted health claims are all 9 amino acids that are essential to human life – and other absurdities.

Of the 2312 health claims that have so far been fully assessed by EFSA, a whopping 89% (2051 in number) have been rejected.

This is down to the EFSA’s interpretation of what is required to scientifically substantiate the law, along with the authority’s remit to follow the letter of the law that requires that all claims are supported by “generally accepted scientific evidence”. The study populations must also be healthy, not diseased ones, so as not to tread on drug company interests. That’s about following the status quo, accepting that highly reductionist methodologies based on randomised trials, biomarkers – and healthy populations – are the way to go. That means disregarding decades of research that shows how many foods and nutrients are at least as powerful as drugs.

The net result is that any commercial entity that wants to make a health claim about its product – to tell the consumer what it does – must dance to EFSA’s tune. They can’t rely on past science, they must undertake new studies, expensive studies that by and large only big companies can afford, to buy health claims that might give them a competitive advantage over others who have been silenced because they can’t use any of the 2,000 odd so-called “non-authorised” health claims.

EFSA’s current health claims consultation

In issuing guidance, EFSA is ostensibly trying to help commercial concerns win more claims, especially ‘emerging science’ health claims, under the Article 13(5) provision of the EU Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation.

Overall, only 16 health claims have been accepted, split evenly between protection of oxidative damage and DNA – both concepts not every member of the public would likely fully understand as being relevant to their health. Much more disconcerting is the 286 that have been rejected by EFSA. That’s a rejection rate of 95%.

In Table 2, we show you how EFSA’s scientific lens is further distorting and confusing the public. Let’s remember, the legislative history of the EU Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation was all about serving the European public, making sure that it wasn’t fed false, misleading or ambiguous claims. It’s clear the Regulation and its interpretation by EFSA has gone way off the railtracks.

Vitamin C contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress

Vitamin C

Acerola is a major dietary source of antioxidants. Antioxidants from dietary sources contribute to the protection against free radicals which cause cell damage. Contributes to the protection of cells and tissues from oxidative damage. Helps strengthen our body

Acerola is a fruit which contains very high levels of vitamin C. The European Commission (EC), based on EFSA opinions, has authorised a claim for vitamin C as an antioxidant, but refused authorisation of a potent natural source of vitamin C.

Calcium is needed for the maintenance of normal bones

Calcium

Lysine is an essential amino acid, needed for the synthesis of proteins necessary for maintenance of the body/ body tissues (collagen, teeth, bones and muscles)/ body function. Increases absorption, action and fixation of calcium, essential for optimal muscle, bone and teeth.

The body cannot make lysine, therefore we must get this from food and/or supplements (hence it being considered an essential amino acid). EFSA opinions have led to authorised claims for calcium, but the authority has not adequately taken into account other cofactors needed to support calcium’s role in the body.

Vitamin E contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is an antioxidant that protects the body’s cells.

Vitamin E is a known antioxidant. The EC has authorised a claim for vitamin E based on the EFSA opinion for its capacity to protect against oxidative stress, but at the same time not authorised wording referring to vitamin E as an antioxidant!

The vegetables referred to in the non-authorised claim are a good source of vitamin K, which is essential for good blood health.

Magnesium contributes to normal functioning of the nervous system

Magnesium

Foods containing magnesium help you to fight against daily stresses

The EC, based on EFSA’s opinion, has authorised a claim for magnesium’s role in supporting the nervous system, but not authorised a claim for magnesium’s role in supporting the body against stress. Magnesium is essential for our wellbeing and foods containing magnesium should be consumed on a daily basis.

Call to Action: What you should tell EFSA

The big question is this: will EFSA’s draft guidance improve the success rate?

We are not convinced it will – and that it will only benefit a few companies – especially those with deep pockets who can afford to play the new rules of the game – while ignoring decades of research that has until this point built the foundation of public health policy in the field of nutrition. It will further distort the science and in EFSA’s attempt to be the scientific arbiter, public health in the EU will have been done a further major disservice.

Following are some important principles we think need to be communicated to EFSA in its consultation.

The consultation response should be made on the electronic template by 3 September 2017.

Comments should be given to particular sections. ANH-Intl will be making a comprehensive submission by the deadline of 3 September 2017. We wish to argue that a minor tweak to EFSA’s guidance is unacceptable and a sea change in approach is required. The more consultation responses that support this view, the more impact it will have. We therefore outline below some key points relating to the sections on Generic Comments and Antioxidants that can be used in part or in full in your responses to EFSA that should be made using this link.

Download a PDF of our detailed consultation position, which includes the following sections:

COMMENTS ON SECTION 0. GENERIC COMMENTS:

Requirement for a global change to EFSA assessment approach

Validate the new approach using model nutrient groups

From causal evidence to evidence of association

Adaptation of health claim wording to fit with current nutritional scientific knowledge

COMMENTS ON SECTION 3.1: FUNCTION CLAIMS RELATED TO ANTIOXIDANTS

Antioxidant is a property of a nutrient

Dietary antioxidants: hybrid nutrition and functional health claims

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Comments

Looking at the big picture, why do “normal” human beings need all this information? Its confusing and so technical most people wont even bother to look. What is behind all this mass mis information? Most things come down to money, its nothing to do with the health of the nation or Europe. Some corporations and therefore Directors are making millions on the back of this industry of words. Well thats what I think anyway!

I agree with you Caroline – more and more distortion at the whim of industrial powerhouses. All of it in turn making it tougher or even illegal for a greengrocer to tell his customer just how good his broccoli or watercress is – yet the packaged, processed food in the supermarket gets EU authorised health claims that are irrelevant to most of the public!

to EFSA: stop working and lobbying voor de pharmaceutical industry and the agrochemical giants like Monsanto. The European population wants the right to choose between natural health and your industrial shit!

Yes ,I agree stop EFSA from giving conflicting info about all natural health products. We want a choice and not all of us want to take medical drugs . I have training as a pharmacy technician at a local hospital and would choose natural health products over medical drugs ,in most cases .

I have clicked the link and looked at the next steps of signing.
Is there a way that “my opinion” can be recorded without me having to read all the detail in depth? I trust the work that the ANHI does and I would like to say “I agree with the ANHI’s recommendations”.